city provides numerous man-hours in police protection and fire rescue services at the so-called “tent city”

Another homeless camp model to examine, since Nashville is considering establishing a better camp setup than the one currently slated for demolition. latest on the closure of Tent City has Public Works pushing the drop-dead date back to the middle, or even towards the end, of September now. At this point, however, I wouldn't bet a plugged nickel on anything at all until after the 9:30 am meeting tomorrow .... (Pinellas Park, Florida) City declines call to support homeless camp Pinellas Hope will continue on a $2.4 million yearly budget By THOMAS MICHALSKI Article published on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008

Photo by THOMAS MICHALSKI Pinellas Hope is located at the end of 126th Avenue in unincorporated Pinellas County near Pinellas Park city limits.

PINELLAS PARK – City officials rejected a call from the Pinellas County Board of Commissioners to help support a $2.4 million plan to keep the controversial homeless shelter, Pinellas Hope, open year-round. Michael Gustafson, city manager, said the city provides numerous man-hours in police protection and fire rescue services at the so-called “tent city” costing thousands of dollars. That, plus the city’s financial woes created by state-mandated property tax reform, will mean a zero contribution to the shelter. Gustafson said besides the numerous assistance calls to the shelter area, the police department provides a two-person officer-social worker homeless team to deal with homelessness issues. It is one of only three in the county with St. Petersburg and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office providing the other two. “The dollar amount for manpower Pinellas Park provides in services is probably greater than what the county wants us to pay for supporting the project’s year-round operation,” Gustafson said. Police Chief Dorene Thomas said crime and other problems in and around the encampment “seems to have lessened in recent months.” Statistically, Thomas said, total local police calls on 126th Avenue where the facility is located jumped from 79 during 2007 to 212 as of Aug. 18 of this year. That jumped from 102 last year to 468 when self initiated activities such as vehicle stops are factored in. Crimes included are battery, business burglary, false alarms, grand theft, possession of stolen property and trespassing. The shelter was created last year by Catholic Charities of St. Petersburg which donated seed money and the land on 126th Avenue off 49th Street which is surrounded by county land. Tent City itself is within city limits and policed by municipal officers. It was to close in April, but donations from businesses and government agencies kept it going. With the winter months just around the corner, however, transients are expected to swarm into mild weathered Florida. Many homeless people return to their northern environs for the spring and summer and return to Florida each fall. Adding to the homelessness problem is the current decaying economy that has forced many locals into the streets due to job loss and the skyrocketing cost of living. Economic woes also is causing shelters that provide food and other services to tighten their own belts. One, the Suncoast Haven of Rest Rescue Mission in Pinellas Park, has already ended the distribution of bag lunches and food to Project Hope due to a reduction in donations of food and money. Pinellas Park officials said only a small percentage of Project Hope’s residents come from the city. The majority are from St. Petersburg that has the largest transient population in Pinellas County. Article published on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008